Exploding the Myths of the GenZ Shopper
The Voice of Retail
The Myth of the Craving of Splashy, Innovative Experiences
I almost think the resale market is the new department store for a lot of these Gen Z years. It truly has moved beyond just the traditional thrift to being something that really allows them to buy what they want with an exclamation point on their own personal consumption. Safety and security was one of our hallmark findings of Gen Z, just how much they crave it. Yeah, probably no surprise there for any of us.
Welcome to The Voice of Retail podcast. My name is Michael LeBlanc, and I am your host, I believe in the power of storytelling to bring the retail industry to life. I'll bring insights, perspectives and experiences from some of the retail industry's most innovative and influential voices each week. This podcast is produced in conjunction with Retail Council of Canada.
From Edelman's breakthrough Gen Z Lab, Courtney Miller, Executive Vice President and Head of Strategy, Giselle Huasipoma, Gen Z Lab Ambassador, Influencer Marketing, reveal five myths about how Gen Z shops.
If you're not looking closely, you might think the Gen Z demographic is all about impulse buyers, who only buy niche, sustainable brands and are the death of brick & mortar shopping experiences, favouring flashy innovative tech experiences instead. In discussing these beliefs with their Gen Z Lab – 200+ Gen Zers across the Edelman network – they discovered that many of these commonly-held notions aren't true.
Thanks for tuning into this episode of The Voice of Retail. If you haven't already, be sure and follow on your favorite podcast platform so new episodes will land automatically each week. And check out my other retail industry media properties, Remarkable Retail podcast with Steve Dennis, and the Global eCommerce Leaders podcast. Last but not least, if you're into barbecue, check out my YouTube barbecue show Last Request Barbecue with new episodes each and every week.
About Courtney
I’ve held many roles over the course of my career, including positions in market research, strategy, and branding. Yet at its core, my career is defined by the constant of delivering superior results for clients. I’ve managed all facets of both large- and small-scale projects—from buy-in and adoption to implementation and execution. I approach my job with two goals in mind—excellence and success.
In my current role with Edelman, I lead strategy for high performing teams to deliver superior service to clients across a diverse spectrum of industries. With oversight of the Midwest region’s two largest accounts, I gather intelligence via search data, social media conversations, quantitative surveys, and focus groups to identify consumer trends so that C-suite clients can make data-driven decisions. Of the achievements of which I am most proud is my work with the Dairy Management Inc. (DMI) account. This account had been underperforming for consecutive months, and I successfully turned it around. Of course, none of this would have been possible without the talented team members with whom I partner. With the understanding that the people who make up any organization are its most valuable assets, I strive to create a culture that embraces open and honest communication, and positions all for success.
About Giselle
Giselle works within the influencer marketing space at the largest global communications firm facilitating campaign strategies and managing hundreds of influencer relationships. She continues to gain exceptional skills and experience throughout influencer marketing, social media strategy, event planning, and integrated team collaboration.
About Michael
Michael is the Founder & President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc. and a Senior Advisor to Retail Council of Canada and the Bank of Canada as part of his advisory and consulting practice. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, Today's Shopping Choice and Pandora Jewellery.
Michael has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. He has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions with C-level executives and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels. ReThink Retail has added Michael to their prestigious Top Global Retail Influencers list for 2023 for the third year in a row.
Michael is also the president of Maven Media, producing a network of leading trade podcasts, including Canada's top retail industry podcast, The Voice of Retail. He produces and co-hosts Remarkable Retail with best-selling author Steve Dennis, now ranked one of the top retail podcasts in the world.
Based in San Francisco, Global eCommerce Leaders podcast explores global cross-border issues and opportunities for eCommerce brands and retailers.
Last but not least, Michael is the producer and host of the "Last Request Barbeque" channel on YouTube, where he cooks meals to die for - and collaborates with top brands as a food and product influencer across North America.
Michael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now, media entrepreneur. He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career.
Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels, most recently on the main stage in Toronto at Retail Council of Canada’s Retail Marketing conference with leaders from Walmart & Google. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, CanWest Media, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.
Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.
Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail experts for the fifth year in a row, the National Retail Federation has designated Michael as on their Top Retail Voices for 2025, Thinkers 360 has named him on of the Top 50 global thought leaders in retail, RTIH has named him a top 100 global though leader in retail technology and Coresight Research has named Michael a Retail AI Influencer. If you are a BBQ fan, you can tune into Michael’s cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.
Michael is available for keynote presentations helping retailers, brands and retail industry insiders explaining the current state and future of the retail industry in North America and around the world.
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